The Metropolitan police review into the abduction of Madeleine McCann could take months or even years to complete and cost millions of pounds.

Detectives from Scotland Yard's homicide command face huge difficulties in examining all the paperwork that details the inquiry into the three-year-old's disappearance in Portugal in 2007. First they will have to wait for all the documentation to be provided by the Portuguese police, and then all the material must be translated before a team of detectives begins the arduous task of reviewing the whole inquiry. They will also review all the files from police in Leicestershire, the McCann's home force which provided some support to the Portuguese, and those of private investigators who have been working on behalf of the family for the past four years.

Scotland Yard have begun an exercise to work out what size team should be involved in the Madeleine review. It is likely to include detectives from the child homicide unit at the Yard.

The prime minister's decision to order the Met to review the case was criticised by some politicians.

Labour peer Lord Harris of Haringey told the PoliticsHome website that he had worries about the way Cameron and the Home Office had behaved.

"It raises very big questions about political direction of the police," said Harris. "Of course it goes without saying that this is a very heart-breaking case, but what we are looking at is a case where the Met has no direct responsibility.

"There is clearly an issue about the resources being used and are they in effect saying that the Met is the default investigator for every case in the world involving a British citizen?

"It's not just a question of direct costs, it's a question of opportunity costs too. Our detective capacity is limited as it is."

The prime minister's official spokesman said that Cameron and Theresa May had asked the Met to review the evidence in response to a request by the McCann family because of the "exceptional" nature of the case.

"There has been a huge amount of public interest in this case since it began, Madeleine McCann has been missing for a long time, there is the international dimension," the spokesman said.

"The prime minister has been clear that he wants to do everything he can to support the family."

The spokesman denied that Cameron and May had been directing police on an operational matter.

"It was done at the request of the home secretary. It was agreed by Sir Paul Stephenson. That is not a direction," he said.

Scotland Yard has had some high-profile success in solving cases which at first sight seemed intractable. After 16 years a new investigation of the Rachel Nickell murder led in 2008 to her killer Robert Napper being brought to justice following a DNA breakthrough.

It was a review by a senior homicide detective of all the evidence gathered in an investigation into a serial rapist in south London that led to the conviction of Kirk Reid in 2009. After eight years in which no one had been arrested for scores of rapes it took the detective just a few hours with the paperwork to identify Reid as the main suspect. Five days later he had matched his DNA to two of the assaults and Reid was finally brought to justice.

The approach in the Madeleine review will be the same as in any re-examination of cases in the UK, a police source said. "What we do is painstakingly look at all the evidence, the paperwork, the CCTV, any suspects who came to light and were investigated. Sometimes it takes fresh eyes to see what was always there."

Madeleine of Rothley, Leicestershire, vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on the Algarve in May 2007. Her parents were dining in a restaurant about 100 metres away and were checking on Madeleine and her siblings every half an hour. The Portuguese inquiry was halted formally in July 2008.

Scotland Yard has had some high-profile success in solving cases which at first sight seemed intractable. After 16 years a new investigation of the Rachel Nickell murder led in 2008 to her killer Robert Napper being brought to justice following a DNA breakthrough.

It was a review by a senior homicide detective of all the evidence gathered in an investigation into a serial rapist in south London that led to the conviction of Kirk Reid in 2009. After eight years in which no one had been arrested for scores of rapes it took the detective just a few hours with the paperwork to identify Reid as the main suspect. Five days later he had matched his DNA to two of the assaults and Reid was finally brought to justice.

Will someone please direct Scotland Yard to the translated files, here, on McCannfiles thank you nigel, and with the PJ, that should save a couple of bob. Surely the P I files have been translated into Portugese because I dont believe the defectives could speak the language so would have had a translator. I believe that the Rog interviews were in English, but they look and sound like double=dutch.

Ahem too TFG, i shant repeat what the Wails headlines were today, but maye theyll stop being so xenophobic and insulting when they realise it took 16 years for an identification and conviction by UK police in Rachel Nickell's murder.

tanszi wrote:Will someone please direct Scotland Yard to the translated files, here, on McCannfiles thank you nigel, and with the PJ, that should save a couple of bob. Surely the P I files have been translated into Portugese because I dont believe the defectives could speak the language so would have had a translator. I believe that the Rog interviews were in English, but they look and sound like double=dutch.

Ahem too TFG, i shant repeat what the Wails headlines were today, but maye theyll stop being so xenophobic and insulting when they realise it took 16 years for an identification and conviction by UK police in Rachel Nickell's murder.

Maybe a few more offertory plates should be offered in Rothley churches now, so they can support their own?

It's interesting with the story on the front page of the WSJ today and then all of page 12 inside, the decline of British military power. I don't know if they are trying to goad the UK into supporting more US and NATO led military efforts - that is the goal to keep them in the game.The article is called the Sun is Setting on British Power and they quote Air Chief Marshal Stephen Dalton saying the capabilities are absolutely stretched and they find it very difficult to do anything else" apart from battles in Libya and Afghanistan. Lots of photos of UK suporting US in Gulf war, Korea, Bosnia, Kosovo, second Gulf war etc and talks about Britain's declining ability to project power on an international stage, military budget funding cuts with these cutbacks coming at a time geopolotical forces are reshaping the military landcape, US and China the number 1 and 2 powers and China ramping up - Thomas Docherty a MOP is quoted telling how in an April Defense meeting at the Pentagon he was told "this is the bottom of the curve you cannot cut any further" if you want to remain a military power. British commanders say cuts have gone too far already "if this goes on there is a threat to our position as a leader of the second tier of military powre" says Charles Guthrie head of armed forces from 97 to 2001 "We are at a tipping point."

Obvious the Wall Street Journal is a bit of a fascist rag but they are highlighting the changing military world landscape and bringing up a real fear for powers like the US and UK which have led the world up to now, with our values of freedom and democracy and so on, even if we have to kill you to get it for you. I wonder what the military is thinking when they see that Britain has millions for poking into a missing child affair because Cameron thinks it is "popular" but are allowing themselves to lose leadership role in even a second tier of global powers.

The opportunity cost is much more for the Met than the actual cost of a few million. What could their "team" of top child abuse and homicide detctives be doing if not "supporting the family" because the family story has the papers drooling and Cameron wants to a favorable impression of himself out there in the Sun, Mirror, Guardian, Mail etc?

I think his little political gambit will have some backlash and not just from the Met but from the people and other agencies that are being short changed while he throws money at his popularity contest via the tabloid interest in this story.

Yes Widowan, children can go without proper education, books,etc., the military are unable to provide their forces with adequate tools, soldiers are losing their posts, the police have to cut back, but a specially dispensed grant of £3.5m has been made available to look into the disappearance of one child, and as one Lord put it Cameron is driving a coach and horses through legislation. The backlash hasnt even started.

And he is stupid enough to say that he is doing this because it is POPULAR - the story is popular - not because it's the right thing to do which of course it isn't, you wonder what the nice ladies over at CPS are saying when they think if how they have hundreds of cases to work on with no help, children being battered - and if they could have found a way to spend that 3.5M pounds?

All I can say is, for that kind of money they BETTER be looking into the case rightfrom the get go, never mind reviewing the "lots of files that have been just sitting there" since 2008. As they have child abuse and homicide people on it I am assuming they are inclined to be influenced by the dogs and the PJ's work and findings up to now.

I think Kate's running scared with her comment about not having expected this "so soon." They will try and control and influence it but once the Met had been told to take good men off real work to sit and do this I hope they crawl up her ass with a flashlight, if there is anything there that needs looking into McCanns better be more than happy to hand it over including medical records.